Saturday, February 7, 2009

This is just a short and simple entry on The Corner's pizza hotspot, Mellow Mushroom. For those who don't know, Mellow Mushroom is a franchise. But a dang good one, in my opinion. The restaurant got "Best of Cville 2008." In addition to their pizza creations (plus hoagies, salads, calzones, etc), they offer a huge variety of both domestic and import beers on tap, and the selection changes up quite often. A buzzing, eclectic place perfect for a casual outing.

Most people go for the individual sized pie, which is 10 inches in diameter and very reasonably priced at about $7-10 for "specialty" pizzas. I've had the Jerk Chicken Pizza, which is topped with: chicken, pineapple and Caribbean spices. The juicy chicken chunks are generous, the pineapple is sweet (but canned, just to let you "fresh pineapple" demanders know), and the spices make a strong presence. Even for a hot-blooded Korean like myself who can handle hot chili sauce on everything, the pizza had a nice kick.

On my last visit with K and Y, I ordered the Gourmet White: olive oil sauce, minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, provolone, mozzarella, feta, fresh tomatoes and onions. It was served piping hot and friggin delicious, and I had a slice or two left over for a late-night treat.

The wheat dough, whether it's store-bought or not, is good. Crusty yet chewy, pillowy yet filling. No "wheaty" flavor at all, but you get the heartiness of a wheat dough. Toppings are generous. Servers are ok (the place gets a bad rap for crappy service, but our girl was alright), though you might have to grab their attention once in a while.Check the place out if you're in the mood for some good pizza (but don't expect NY or Chicago-style) and new beers (no, I do not have personal experience with the beers :) sorry!).

Oh, and I just had to add. My friend L just took K's leftovers out of my fridge and devoured it cold, even when I begged her not to. She said it was "f*#$^ing delicious."